Structure of Games

Formal ElementsElement that engage the Player

Dramatic Elements

What are Formal Elements? Players Objectives Procedures Rules Resources Conflict Boundaries Outcome

Players Games demand active

participation Participation is

voluntary Players make

decisions Players are invested in

the game Players are potential

winners Without players there

would be no games

Objectives

When you watch a movie there is no objective presented for the player to accomplish during the film. Games have objectives for the players. You can’t win without meeting the objectives.

In life we set our own objectives and do not need to meet all of them to be successful.

In games, the objective is a key element and players work towards the objective as a measure of involvement in the game.

Procedures

The actions or methods of play allowed by the rules.

Guide player behavior, creating interactions during the game.

If you were asking for cards of like rank, you would not ask each player one at a time, but would ask all the players at once – this is a procedure of the game.

Rules Rules define game

objects and concepts. Rules limit player

behavior. Rules proscribe active

events. Players often self

adjudicate the rules. The authority of the rules stems from an implicit agreement by the players to follow the rules

Rules (cont.)

Games are experiences that have rules which define game objects, proscribe principles, and limit behavior of the game.

Rules are respected because the players understand that they are a key element of the game.

Without rules, the game would not function.

Resources Resources are objects

that help players reach their objectives.

The resources are valuable because they help the players achieve their goals.

The resources are valuable because they are made scarce in the system by the game designer.

Resources (cont.)

Finding and managing resources is a key element of many games.

Resources may be cards, weapons, time, units, turns, or terrain.

Resources can be used to further our aim. Resources can be combined to make new

products or items. Resources can be bought and sold in

various types of markets.

Conflict

During a game, specific objectives are presented for the players to accomplish.

Rules guide and limit player behavior. The procedures and rules tend to

deter the players from accomplishing their goals.

Conflict (cont.)

The relationship between the objectives of the players and the rules limiting behavior creates conflict.

Players must work to resolve the conflict in their own favor.

Meeting the conflict often is necessary for a player to win the game.

Boundaries

Game boundaries can be physical, procedural, or conceptual.

Games may set different boundaries for each player.

Boundaries may change at different times during the game.

Boundaries can be within a game, but also set limits of game play.

Outcome

People play games to gain a sense of achievement.

The concept of winning is central to every game.

Outcome is often a measure of achievement.

Providing a sense of unequal outcome is a key element of games – there is going to be a winner.

Engaging the Player

Challenge Play Premise Character Story

Challenge

Challenges come from the experiences created when players work to resolve conflicts in their favor.

Challenges come from varying levels of achievement or frustration.

Increasing the challenge as the game goes on can cause a rising sense of tension.

Challenge (cont.)

Frustration occurs when the challenges are too great.

If the challenge level remains flat or goes down, players feel they have mastered the game and move on.

Balancing player’s emotional responses to the amount of challenge in a game is important to keeping the player engaged in the game.

Play

Games can provide opportunities for players to use their imagination, fantasy, inspiration, social skills, or other playful types of interactions to achieve objectives.

Game play might be serious, charged and aggressive, or an outlet for fantasy.

Designing the type of play that will appeal to players is a key consideration for keeping players engaged with the game.

Premise Premise can create engagement by giving

context to the formal elements. Monopoly’s premise is that each player is

a landlord buying, selling and developing real estate in an effort to become the richest player in the game. The premise of the game worked largely because Monopoly came out during the great depression.

A game’s premise can help sell the game by appealing to the special interests of potential players.

Character

Characters in traditional storytelling are the agents through which dramatic stories are told.

Characters in games work much the same, providing ways for us to empathize with the situation and live vicariously through their efforts.

Character (cont.)

Characters in games can also be vessels for our own participation, entry points for us to experience situations and conflicts through the guise of a mask we create and direct.

Characters provide a rich area for dramatic engagement in games.

Video games often have well-developed characters.

Story

The story within a game engages the players emotionally.

Story differs from premise in being narrative.

Stories unfold with the game. Story can be integrated with the

game.

Dramatic Elements

The sum of the parts – games are systems of interrelated elements that work together to form a complex whole.

All of the elements are hidden until the game is played. Once in play, what emerges is something that cannot be predicted by examining each of the elements separately.

When designing a game, you must not only look at the elements, but the game as a whole in play.

So, what is a game?

A closed, formal system, that Engages players in structured

conflict, and Resolves in an unequal outcome.